Annulus
World: 'Annulus *'Location: 'Subsector Adamantis *'Type: 'Artificial Construct Gas Giant *'Tithe: 'Nix Annulus is controlled directly by the Administratum *'Population: ' 57 million 000 000 *'Government: '''Imperial Dictatorship, Annulus is ruled by a high ranking beaurocrat of the Administratum. Currently this position is held by '''Master of Annulus Dorren Bligh. 'Description' Annulus is an enormous artificial ring that lies above and all the way around the equator of a gas giant planet. Constructed long ago in the Dark Age of Technology, Annulus serves as an enormous space dock, trading centre and self-contained world for it's inhabitants. Merchant vessels swarm around the ring station constantly, latching onto it's thousands of docks to transfer cargo or trade their wares. During the Age of Strife Annulus was located in the middle of the human coalition, and served as a handling station for the many supplies being funnelled towards Adamant Prime, such as food from Auburn and machinery from New Ganymede. After the Great Crusade it remained staunchly Imperial through the subsequent losses of contact as well as the Long Storm of M36, and during the Belisarian Reclamation Crusade of M37 it readily returned to the Imperial fold alongside Adamant Prime. In M41 it has the largest variety of wares for sale in the entire Subsector and is the main trade hub of the region. Officially Annulus is ruled by a department of Administratum personel, endlessly recording and taxing the vast shipments of cargo that pass through the station. However unofficial trade is rampant aboard the station, Captains and customers trading with each other under the table and away from the prying eyes of the Arbites security forces that inspect cargo. *'Technology:' – Mixed Like all dedicated trade worlds there is an extremely large variety of technology available, including that of xenos origin. *'Military:' Annulus has a large Arbites security force that keeps the peace on the inside of the ring. While defence against outside invaders is provided by a relatively small but well equipped PDF and SDF consisting of armsman-style soldiers, gun batteries, defence monitors and fast patrol ships. *'Strategic importance: 'Media All established trade routes through the Subsector have Annulus at their centre, if this station was lost it could take years to reestablish transportation between the other planets. *'Loyalty: '71% Though mostly inhabited by typical and loyal citizens, Annulus is also used by less savoury characters to sell off their ill-gotten gains. Notable locations Annulus is an entirely artificial construct, effectively a colossal orbital station. The majority of its landscape is suitably metallic and claustrophobic when compared to convetional worlds, though by void standards Annulus is exceptionally spacious and its vast arboretums do provide some measure of natural life. *'Central Bureau' - This large section of ring houses the command and main administration offices of Annulus. With access heavily restricted and its corridors and bulkheads heavily patrolled and guarded by Adeptus Arbites, this is the most secure location in the entire orbital conglomeration. It also has the most extensive void defenses with dedicated shield arrays, massive launch bays, and all kinds of weapons batteries and lance turrets. More often than not vessels of the Imperial Navy will also be docked here, typically at least a escort squadron. Notable inhabitants: **'Master of Annulus Dorren Bligh' - Current ruler of Annulus and a classic Administratum careerist, Blighe is dull, uninspiring and thoroughly dependable. As the official ruler of Annulus he has ultimate authority over all Imperial entities stationed here as well as any visitors who dock here. Historically he has proven to take a hands-off approach to the trade that occurs within his realm, so long as the taxes are paid. However if visitor actions put his ring's operations at risk he comes down very harsly. **'Marshal Tristan Zarkewvas' - Commander of Annulus' large Adeptus Arbites force. Zarkewvas is a hardened man who has served his entire career on Annulus, and is force is primarily concerned with the internal policing of the vast visitor population as well as Annulus own population of dock workers, service workers, and other dregs. **'General Fenun Andre' - Commander of Annulus' PDF/SDF of gun batteries, armsmen, defence monitors and system patrol ships. While the Arbites maintain internal peace within Annulus (and administer cargo checks with their own vessels), Andre and his force's only concern is the military security of the Annulus system from outside attack. Andre himself was a veteran Master-at-Arms in the Imperial Navy before becoming too old to fulfil his combat duties properly, and he accepted an offer to transfer into the Annulus PDF/SDF as commander. He has extensive skill & experience in commanding ship, station, and void-based combat. *'Atlas Dockyards '- The primary bulk shipping hub of Annulus. The Atlas Dockyards consist of hundreds of transport docks along with all the infrastructure required to transfer bulk cargo between them. Enormous servo-actuated cargo containers move between the ships, filled with servitors & dockworkers who unload and loadup the huge number of transport ships as they arrive and disembark. Using dockyards like Atlas allows bulk cargo to move seamlessly between different shipping routes, greatly increasing the speed & efficiency of interplanetary trade & tithings across the subsector. Atlas Dockyards themselves are colossal in scale, covering almost a quarter of Annulus' circumference and employing a substantial portion of the population. The docks themselves have little space for defences, so a number of weapons platforms are instead positioned in front of Atlas Dockyards. *'Korgrimsport' - Less commercial than Atlas, Korgrimsport is the 'standard' dockyard for any visitig ship that is not on Annulus solely for cargo transport (even though this is a slight minority). Taking up roughly a third of Annulus' circumference, Korgrimsport is much less densely cluttered than Atlas and its docks are much more comfortably spaced. These docks provide access to a vast internal city of enormous market chambers, glittering service industry promenades, and dank bilges of seedy bars & fighting pits. *'Revelatus Shipyards' - Located between Atlas Dockyards & Korgrimsport on the outside edge of Annulus. These shipyards provide badly needed repairs & refits to any unfortunate transport vessel that needs it, and have a respectable production capacity as well with a large number of civilian-rated drydocks that construct transport vessels on an ongoing basis. The ancient structure - heavily refitted after the Great Crusade - also boasts a supertransport-rated drydock, making it one of the few places in Sector Deus that can construct Universe-class Mass Conveyors efficiently. The shipyards also have warship capacity, and churn out many of the cheaper escort patterns such as Iconoclasts, Cobras, Havocs and Claymores. Revelatus also has a pair of Heavy Transport docks that were converted to warship standard in M37, and they slowly assemble capital ships for the Imperial Navy on an ongoing basis. Currently one drydock is decoted to constructing light cruisers while the other assembles larger cruisers of as-specified classes. Currently in this dock is the Bellator, an Armageddon-class Battlecruiser due for completion in 395.M41. *'The Spires' - Along most of the circumference of Annulus, large towers & spires stretch upwards from the main body of the artificial ring. Some of these are astropathic relays and augury scanners but most are luxury habitation for Annulus' most wealthy people, many of them merchants or chartist captains. Notable inhabitants: **'Hayesham Dynasty' - A wealthy dynasty of successful merchants. The Hayeshams are known for their hands-on approach, personally browsing incoming stock and making personal contact with potential buyers. This has earned them a healthy & loyal customer base but has also angered their rivals, who see the Hayeshams as uncouth market traders who dirty their hands. **'Silverstone Dynasty' - A junior branch of the sector-spanning mercantile Dynasty. The Silverstones on Annulus oversee a satellite guild of the Silverstone Consortium, trading in commodities, corporate stakes and trade contracts in large numbers to turn pure profit. **'Von Stahl Dynasty' - An ancient mercantile dynasty that can trace its highs and lows back for millennia. As of M41 they are on an exceptional high, and are one of the wealthiest families on Annulus. **'Kettle Dynasty' - A family of Chartist Captains, the Kettle Dynasty owns a large transport fleet and has a modest record in the Imperial Navy as well. While many Dynasty members are offworld commanding ships, the Dynasty's home is here on Annulus. **'Dreckoras Dynasty' - An old and well known family on Annulus, the Dreckarases have been extremely wealthy for as long as any can remember. They own the wealthy Dreckarus Collective Mercantile Consortium and the dynasty patriarch holds a seat on the Sector's merchant council. The Dreckoras Dynasty enjoys their dominance and has proven to be very cooperative with the Administratum so long as it remains so. **'Oersten Dynasty' - Somewhat renowned but a relatively young merchant family, the Oersten Dynasty has been turning an unusually steady & consistent profit for many years. They have ingratiated themselves well into Annulus' high culture with the frequent public events they throw in their spire. However some - especially rivals - mutter dark rumours that their steady profit is from illegal ventures. Even darker rumours claim that the Oersten's ultimate goal is to somehow replace the Administratum as rulers of Annulus. *'Residential Areas' - The internal half of Annulus is dominated by dense residential districts where the majority of the population of the ring lives. These internal habitation blocks vary immensely, ranging from pleasant arboretum housing to densely packed bilge slums, and can be linked by broad roadways or narrow corridors. Most of these areas have commerciaised industry towards the outside edge of the ring, ranging from manufactorum blocks to bars. Most of the commercial areas outside of Korgrimsport & Atlas Dockyards are for the use of Annulus' own population so simple, relatively cheap entertainment & labour employment is the overwhelming majority. Category:Subsector Adamantis Category:Planet Category:Imperial World Category:Trade Hub